Classic American West Coast Boxing

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From the back. Grandkids Kalina,Amanda,Adam,and Adam's friend Jim.Major's Cafe, Pine Valley,California

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HENRY CLARK…
By Jim Amato

There were many who thought he was going to be the next Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. He was a tall, smooth boxing heavyweight with a world of potential. His professional career began in 1964 and before long he was mixing it up with some of the best fighters in the world. How’s this for starters? His pro debut was a four round decision loss to the rugged Joey Orbillo!

Less then two months later he pounded out a ten round verdict over future title challenger Manuel Ramos. The following year he whipped tough trial horse George “Scrap iron” Johnson. In 1966 he fought a No Decision bout with Amos “Big Train” Lincoln and he lost a decision to highly regarded Zora Folley. The year 1967 saw Henry establish himself as a force in the heavyweight division by winning on points over Bill McMurray, Steve Grant on two occasions, Fred Lewis, Eddie Machen and Roger Rischer.

Henry opened 1968 by defeating the clever Leotis Martin. This led Henry into a major bout against comebacking ex-heavyweight king Sonny Liston. This was Sonny’s first major step on his comeback trail and he passed with flying colors. Sonny pummelled a game but overmatched Clark in scoring a seventh round stoppage.

The year 1969 had mixed results. Henry drew with Brian London and kayoed Bob Stallings. He then lost on points to “Florida” Al Jones and Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt. In 1970 his best win was a points call over Jimmy “The King” Fletcher. In 1972 Henry won and lost to Jack “The Giant” O’Halloran. An up and coming Ken Norton on the Muhammad Ali-Bob Foster undercard then stopped him in nine rounds.

Henry came back to win three bouts in 1973 and then on March 4th 1974 in a rematch, Henry blew out the now ranked Jeff Merritt in one round. Henry quickly followed with a decision win over faded ex-contender Mac Foster. Henry remained unbeaten through four more fights and was then matched with the dangerous Earnie Shavers in Paris, France. Try as he might for the KO, Shavers was unable to stop the wily Clark and had to settle for a hard earned points win over Henry. They met again six months later on the under card of Ali-Norton III. This time the murderous punching Shavers in two rounds overwhelmed Henry. Henry attempted to bounce back four months later but was defeated over ten by Howard “Kayo” Smith. Henry did not fight again for over two and a half years. When he did return he was defeated in ten rounds by fringe contender Bernardo Mercado.

Henry’s final tally was 32 wins, 12 losses and four draws. He scored seven knockouts but he was only stopped on three occasions. That was by Liston, Norton and Shavers surely no shame there.

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ERNIE TERRELL ; A GIANT IN THE SHADOW OF ALI
By Jim Amato

Who was the second best heavyweight around during the first title reign of Muhammad Ali? A strong argument could be made for Chicago’s Ernie Terrell. Why ? Because he earned it. He was even good enough to hold the WBA version of the heavyweight title but everyone knew who the ” real ” champ was.

Terrell turned professional in 1957. At 6′6” he learned early how to use his height and reach to his advantage. He developed a good jab and learned how to tie up his opponents on the inside. It wasn’t pretty but it was effective. He won eighteen of his first twenty contests losing two eight round split decisions to Johnny Gray. In 1960 the capable Wayne Bethea outscored him. In 1962 Ernie suffered a major set back when the powerful Cleveland Williams halted him.

Terrell began his march to the top in 1963 defeating Williams in a return match and top contender Zora Folley. In 1964 Big Ernie beat Gerhard Zech, Jefferson Davis and stopped a young Bob Foster. When the WBA stripped Ali of his title recognition they matched Terrell with perrenial contender Eddie Machen. It was an ugly fight with a lot of wrestling and little punching but Terrell did what he had to do to win the ” vacant ” title.

Maybe Ernie was not considered the real champion but he did establish himself as the most formidable challenger to Ali. He closed 1965 with a decision over rugged George Chuvalo. In 1966 Terrell defeated slick Doug Jones. Finally after a failed attempt Terrell and Ali were finally matched to unify the title. The bout would take place at the Houston Astrodome. Ernie’s bold refusal to acknowledge Ali’s Muslim name and refer to him as Clay irked Muhammad who vowed to punish Ernie. Punish he did as Ali worked Terrell over throughout the fifteen rounder. Round after round Ali would lash out at Terrell with punishing jabs and flurries while screaming, ” what’s my name? “. To Ernie’s credit he gamely absorbed the punishment with a very swollen eye. When it was all over there was no doubt who the King of the heavyweights was.

The WBA would later strip Ali of the title again in 1967 for refusing induction into the Armed Forces. An eight-man elimination tourney was set up to determine Ali’s successor. Ernie was one of the eight contestants and an early favorite to win the tournement. Terrell was eliminated in the first leg of the tourney being upset by Thad Spencer. Terrell looked to be finished when he next lost to Mexican Manuel Ramos. He would not fight again until 1970 and his comeback drew little interest until he scored a major upset in 1972 by halting highly rated Jose Luis Garcia. In 1973 Ernie lost a very controversial verdict to Chuck Wepner but his career then came crashing down when Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt belted him out in one round.

In all Terrell fought 54 times winning 45 of them. He stopped 21 foes. Ernie suffered nine losses but was only stopped twice. Today Ernie is remembered as a footnote to Ali’s pre-exile days. In reality he was a viable contender who was overshadowed by
” The Greatest “.

[Expug]

Ernie Terrel for years was a promoter in Chicago after he retired.
He promoted a ton of small cards at Chicagos old Aaragon Ballroom through the seventies.
He literaly kept the sport alive during that period and built up some good prospects.
Ive met him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy.
I always found it strange that he antagonised Ali before they fought.
Ernie seemed like the type of guy who would train and go about his buisness like the solid pro that he was.
Its surprising he got caught up in any kind of hype.
I wonder if there was more to the story.

[dagosd2000]

HENRY CLARK…
By Jim Amato

There were many who thought he was going to be the next Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. He was a tall, smooth boxing heavyweight with a world of potential. His professional career began in 1964 and before long he was mixing it up with some of the best fighters in the world. How’s this for starters? His pro debut was a four round decision loss to the rugged Joey Orbillo!

Less then two months later he pounded out a ten round verdict over future title challenger Manuel Ramos. The following year he whipped tough trial horse George “Scrap iron” Johnson. In 1966 he fought a No Decision bout with Amos “Big Train” Lincoln and he lost a decision to highly regarded Zora Folley. The year 1967 saw Henry establish himself as a force in the heavyweight division by winning on points over Bill McMurray, Steve Grant on two occasions, Fred Lewis, Eddie Machen and Roger Rischer.

Henry opened 1968 by defeating the clever Leotis Martin. This led Henry into a major bout against comebacking ex-heavyweight king Sonny Liston. This was Sonny’s first major step on his comeback trail and he passed with flying colors. Sonny pummelled a game but overmatched Clark in scoring a seventh round stoppage.

The year 1969 had mixed results. Henry drew with Brian London and kayoed Bob Stallings. He then lost on points to “Florida” Al Jones and Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt. In 1970 his best win was a points call over Jimmy “The King” Fletcher. In 1972 Henry won and lost to Jack “The Giant” O’Halloran. An up and coming Ken Norton on the Muhammad Ali-Bob Foster undercard then stopped him in nine rounds.

Henry came back to win three bouts in 1973 and then on March 4th 1974 in a rematch, Henry blew out the now ranked Jeff Merritt in one round. Henry quickly followed with a decision win over faded ex-contender Mac Foster. Henry remained unbeaten through four more fights and was then matched with the dangerous Earnie Shavers in Paris, France. Try as he might for the KO, Shavers was unable to stop the wily Clark and had to settle for a hard earned points win over Henry. They met again six months later on the under card of Ali-Norton III. This time the murderous punching Shavers in two rounds overwhelmed Henry. Henry attempted to bounce back four months later but was defeated over ten by Howard “Kayo” Smith. Henry did not fight again for over two and a half years. When he did return he was defeated in ten rounds by fringe contender Bernardo Mercado.

Henry’s final tally was 32 wins, 12 losses and four draws. He scored seven knockouts but he was only stopped on three occasions. That was by Liston, Norton and Shavers surely no shame there.

Clark looked a lot like Ali in physical appearance(in the face they could have passed as twins)and was a smooth boxer also. I saw him split two fights with Jack O'Halloran in San Diego. I thought Clark was a little lazy as a fighter. He never reached down deep when he needed to win.

I think his fight with Norton was the turning point for both fighters.At the time Norton was having problems with stamina. He had been knocked out cold by Jose Luis Garcia in LA.,and had resorted to seeing a psychiatrist in San Diego by the name of Dean Ezell to see if it was a psycholgical issue. Ezell had a stage act at the Midway Chuck Wagon owned by a Vegas connected guy by the name of Irving Kahn. Regis Philbin was the emcee for the show.

I don't think anyone gave this overture much faith. I thought Henry Clark would outbox Norton into the middle rounds and then stop him after the gas ran out of his tank. But Norton didn't get tired. He wore down Henry and stopped him!Now Norton was in line for a fight with Ali. Clark remained a trial horse.

BTW,after Norton upset Ali ,he denied that the treatments with the psychiatrist had anything to do with the victory.

[dagosd2000]

Brian
WGN TV Chicago is running a Honeymoners marathon.Our cable gets it here in San Diego. Now way a local San Diego station would do something like that. Honeymooners? Definitely not chic enough. Maybe a Sex In The City marathon,but nothing as old fashioned as a series with a bus driver,a guy that works in a sewer,and living in a cold water apartment in Brooklyn.

I bet there's no Honeymooner marathon in Vail. Get back with me on that. Rog

[Expug]

Brian
WGN TV Chicago is running a Honeymoners marathon.Our cable gets it here in San Diego. Now way a local San Diego station would do something like that. Honeymooners? Definitely not chic enough. Maybe a Sex In The City marathon,but nothing as old fashioned as a series with a bus driver,a guy that works in a sewer,and living in a cold water apartment in Brooklyn.

I bet there's no Honeymooner marathon in Vail. Get back with me on that. Rog

Happy New Year Rog.
Yeah, I dont think Ralph Kramden would be a big hit here in Vail

[Dongee]

From the back. Grandkids Kalina,Amanda,Adam,and Adam's friend Jim.Major's Cafe, Pine Valley,California

Kiki:

One of the most welcome sights ever, on the road from Calexico to San Diego was the oasis known as Majors' Cafe. Stopped there many times en route to the cooler climate of the coast from the hellish summer heat in Imperial Valley. Another pleasant stop was Jacumba, home of the incomparable Fighting Hogue Twins.

Happy New Year

hap navarro

[kikibalt]

From the back. Grandkids Kalina,Amanda,Adam,and Adam's friend Jim.Major's Cafe, Pine Valley,California

Kiki:

One of the most welcome sights ever, on the road from Calexico to San Diego was the oasis known as Majors' Cafe. Stopped there many times en route to the cooler climate of the coast from the hellish summer heat in Imperial Valley. Another pleasant stop was Jacumba, home of the incomparable Fighting Hogue Twins.

Happy New Year

hap navarro

Thanks Hap, those are Roger's grandkids and his photo.

[dagosd2000]

Brian
WGN TV Chicago is running a Honeymoners marathon.Our cable gets it here in San Diego. Now way a local San Diego station would do something like that. Honeymooners? Definitely not chic enough. Maybe a Sex In The City marathon,but nothing as old fashioned as a series with a bus driver,a guy that works in a sewer,and living in a cold water apartment in Brooklyn.

I bet there's no Honeymooner marathon in Vail. Get back with me on that. Rog

Happy New Year Rog.
Yeah, I dont think Ralph Kramden would be a big hit here in Vail

Thanks Pal
Just found the Twilight Zone marathon on the Sci Fi Channel. Between Ralph Kramden and Rod Sterling,the West Coast Thread,maybe a painting,The New Year is off to a great start.

[dagosd2000]

From the back. Grandkids Kalina,Amanda,Adam,and Adam's friend Jim.Major's Cafe, Pine Valley,California

Kiki:

One of the most welcome sights ever, on the road from Calexico to San Diego was the oasis known as Majors' Cafe. Stopped there many times en route to the cooler climate of the coast from the hellish summer heat in Imperial Valley. Another pleasant stop was Jacumba, home of the incomparable Fighting Hogue Twins.

Happy New Year

hap navarro

Hap
Jacumba still hasn't grown much. When you mentioned the Hogue brothers,I often think how those two guys wound up being fighters living way out there.(perhaps you know)

Archie Moore once said that he was to fight Big Boy Hogue at the ball park,Lane Field. Big Boy got sick .Sitting ringside was Shorty. Shorty volunteered to take his brother's place. Moore stopped Shorty early. He had always had difficulty with Shorty Hogue. But the Old Mongoose then offered when he and Shorty met ring center,he smelled liquor on on Shorty's breath.

BTW,it was a beautifull ride to see the snow with the grandkids. The waitress at Majors said they will have been in business for 50 years next month. They're going to have a big party.

[Rick Farris]

You lived through a golden era, Rick. You know, over here TV is TERRIBLE, I've never known it so bad. If I do watch anything, it is classic 1970s stuff.

Bennie . . . A former girlfriend of mine has been the production designer on a number of English TV series. In the late 80's she did a show known as "The East Enders", and more recently did a show called "Bad Girls". Her name is Jane Tomblin and she's the daughter of the late David Tomblin, one England's great film makers. David was a brilliant producer/director whose credits in British TV go back to the old "Secret Agent" series from the 60's. He would later assist some the greatest directors in the world such as George Lucas on the original "Star Wars", Blake Edwards on "The Pink Panther" films, Richard Donner on all of the Superman features starring Christopher Reeve, Spielberg on the "Indiana Jones" movies, and his favorite, the original James Bond movies starring his best friend, Sean Connery.

I met David when he was Sydney Pollacks co-producer on the Robert Redford Film, "Havana". This is where I met his daughter Jane, in the Dominican Republic, where we shot the film in '89-90. David would go on to work as Mel Gibson's assistant in his directorial debut, "Braveheart", which won him an Oscar. When he accepted his Academy Award, Gibson told the audience, "Thanks to David Tomblin, he held my hand thru the entire film." At David's funeral, he was eulogized by Lord Richard Attenborough, another great whom David worked with. I almost packed up and left to live with Jane in the U.K. back in the early 90's. I had a big contact in the English film world thru Jane and could have worked there. However, my life and children were here in America. I tried to get Jane to come to the States, where Steven Speilberg (another David Tomblin buddy) would have put her to work immidiatley. We almost married, but wisely went our seperate ways. Janie remains a life long friend, I will visit her later this year when I head back to England for a visit. She's a brilliant artist and a great woman. I really get carried away when I get into the film making thing, sorry guys for the long messages. I just have lots of memories that come up. It was the only life that could equal the excitment I had in boxing.

-Rick

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Hap/Roger...I lived in San Diego (Paradise Hills) between 1993 and 1996, during the summers Connie and I would jump on the old Harley and ride Eastern San Diego County, we had some favorited spots to go to, places like, Campo, Tecate, Jacumba, Jamul, descanso, Cuyamaca, Pine Valley and Julian where I would meet my brother Mando when he and his friends would ride their Harleys from L.A.....

[kikibalt]

[quote=" I really get carried away when I get into the film making thing, sorry guys for the long messages. I just have lots of memories that come up. It was the only life that could equal the excitment I had in boxing.

-Rick

At least your merories come up, I too have lots of merories, but they don't come up......

[Rick Farris]

Ernie Terrel for years was a promoter in Chicago after he retired.
He promoted a ton of small cards at Chicagos old Aaragon Ballroom through the seventies.
He literaly kept the sport alive during that period and built up some good prospects.
Ive met him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy.
I always found it strange that he antagonised Ali before they fought.
Ernie seemed like the type of guy who would train and go about his buisness like the solid pro that he was.
Its surprising he got caught up in any kind of hype.
I wonder if there was more to the story.

Brian . . . Ernie usually attends all of the WBHOF banquets, but I didn't see him this year. I recall that in '07, Dan Hanley and I would run into him several times and were going to interview him. I recall he and Jimmy Ellis together at the previous banquet. Do you know anything about Ernie's sister? She was a great singer and replaced Diana Ross when Ross left the Supremes around 1970.

-Rick

[Expug]

Rick, Ernies sister is Tammy Terrel.
She sang with The Supremes as you mentioned.
Lovely voice .Very talented.
There are some cool pictures floating around of Ernie and his sister from long ago.

[Rick Farris]

Brian
WGN TV Chicago is running a Honeymoners marathon.Our cable gets it here in San Diego. Now way a local San Diego station would do something like that. Honeymooners? Definitely not chic enough. Maybe a Sex In The City marathon,but nothing as old fashioned as a series with a bus driver,a guy that works in a sewer,and living in a cold water apartment in Brooklyn.

I bet there's no Honeymooner marathon in Vail. Get back with me on that. Rog

Rog . . . You got me hooked on the "Twilight Zone" marathon and while others were out celebrating the New Year, Monica and I holed up and watched the Rod Serling marathon. By the way, it's still on the TV and I'm waiting for the "Boxing" episode, the one where boxing has been banned. Instead of real men boxing, the only boxing permitted features robots. An old pro is broke, and pretends to be a robot to get a fight, then fights a mechanical boxer. Remember that one, anybody? Just watched a TZ episode with a young Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson. Tom says he loved Barbara Eden, I loved Liz Montgomery (and the two actresses did not like each other.) Montgomery was upset that her then husband, director William Asher, had created kind of a spin-off series from Bewitiched, "I Dream of Jeannie". While Asher focused on making the Barbara Eden series a success, Montgomery traveled Europe alone. Shortly afterwards they divorced.

I'm now looking for a "Bewitched" marathon until the Rose Bowl game. Where are you Samantha?????

-Rick

[kikibalt]

Ernie Terrel for years was a promoter in Chicago after he retired.
He promoted a ton of small cards at Chicagos old Aaragon Ballroom through the seventies.
He literaly kept the sport alive during that period and built up some good prospects.
Ive met him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy.
I always found it strange that he antagonised Ali before they fought.
Ernie seemed like the type of guy who would train and go about his buisness like the solid pro that he was.
Its surprising he got caught up in any kind of hype.
I wonder if there was more to the story.

Brian . . . Ernie usually attends all of the WBHOF banquets, but I didn't see him this year. I recall that in '07, Dan Hanley and I would run into him several times and were going to interview him. I recall he and Jimmy Ellis together at the previous banquet. Do you know anything about Ernie's sister? She was a great singer and replaced Diana Ross when Ross left the Supremes around 1970.

-Rick

Rick, I don't think she was Ernie Terrel's sister, Tammie Terrell was only her stage mame


Tammi Terrell
AKA Thomasina Montgomery

Born: 29-Apr-1945
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
Died: 16-Mar-1970
Location of death: Philadelphia, PA
Cause of death: Cancer - Brain
Remains: Buried, Mount Lawn Cemetery, Sharon Hill, PA


Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Singer

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Singing partner with Marvin Gaye

A native of Philadelphia, Thomasina Montgomery was given her first opportunity to perform in public through the same venue as did many of the black musicians of her generation: the choir of her family's church. The daughter of politician Thomas Montgomery and actress Jennie Montgomery, "Tommie" (as her family called her) decided upon a future in the music field early in her life, undertaking lessons for voice, piano and dance by the time she had reached her teens. By age 11 she had won her first talent competition, and by 13 she was already performing as an opening act for established R&B artists such as Gary "U.S." Bonds and Patti LaBelle. Her talent eventually attracted the interest of producer Luther Dixon, who signed her to the New York-based Scepter/Wand Records in 1960; her debut single If You See Bill b/w It's Mine was released by the label the following year under the name "Tammy Montgomery" -- the change in her first name inspired by the popular Debbie Reynolds song. A second single The Voice of Experience b/w I Want'cha To Be Sure arrived early in 1962. Neither had much of an impact in the charts, and in her early career Montgomery's popularity was primarily centered around her concert performances.

The next to fall under the young singer's spell was soul icon James Brown, who signed her to his Try Me label after witnessing a performance at the Tan Playhouse in Philadelphia. Brown assumed production duties for her third single I Cried b/w If You Don't Think (1963), while also enlisting Montgomery as a member of his touring band. A romantic involvement is said to have developed between the two during their nine months on the road together, and was reportedly brought to an end through the intervention of the still-teenaged girl's parents. In 1964 one last single was released under her family name: If I Would Marry You b/w This Time Tommorrow on Checker Records. Chart success still remained elusive, and during this period Montgomery began to consider options outside of a career in music, enrolling as a Pre-Med student at the University of Pennsylvania. She never abandoned performing entirely, however, and in 1965 the singer hit the road as part of soul "Ice Man" Jerry Butler's ensemble.Berry Gordy, and before the end of the year she was added to the Motown stable of artists. In his usual hands-on manner, Gordy required her to modify her appearance and change her stage name to "Tammi Terrell", as he felt that her future as "Tammy Montogmery" had already reached an impasse; a series of singles under this new name were produced over the next two years (I Can't Believe You Love Me, Come On And See Me, This Old Heart Of Mine, Tears At The End Of A Love Affair), but only a few managed to crack the top 40. It wasn't until 1967 that Tammi Terrell finally achieved her breakthrough, courtesy of a pairing with labelmate Marvin Gaye (replacing his previous singing partner Kim Weston, who had herself replaced Mary Wells in 1964). The duo's first collaborative single, the Ashford and Simpson penned Ain't No Mountain High Enough, became an immediate hit, as did their first album United.

Between '67 and '69 the duo recorded two further albums (You're All I Need, 1968, and Easy, 1969) and released a string of high-charting singles (Your Precious Love, If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, among several others). Almost as soon as her newfound success had arrived, however, it was overshadowed by complications with her health: persistant migranes the singer had been experiencing for some time finally resulted in a collapse while onstage with Gaye in 1967, and subsequent examinations revealed the presence of a cancerous tumor in her brain. Although her illness brought an end to her ability to perform live, she continued to record with Gaye and as a solo performer (Irresistible, 1968) until it was no longer physically possible. Apparently, it was neccessary for much of the two later Gaye/Terrell albums to be created by Gaye overdubbing onto existing Terrell tracks, and a number of songs on Easy had to be ghost-sung by producer Valerie Simpson. The still very young Terrell endured eight unsuccessful operations before the tumor finally claimed her life in March of 1970. Devastated by the loss of his musical partner, Gaye abandoned his own recording career for a year after her death, and did not resume live performance until 1972.

[Rick Farris]

Rick, Ernies sister is Tammy Terrel.
She sang with The Supremes as you mentioned.
Lovely voice .Very talented.
There are some cool pictures floating around of Ernie and his sister from long ago.

Brian . . . I recall pics of Ernie with his sister. Ernie himself was a singer, I've read. Anybody remember when Joe Frazier tried his hand at singing? Had a band he called "The Knockouts". They only did one song that I remember . . . Sinatra's "I Did it My Way".

Good for Joe he didn't leave his day job.

-Rick

[Rick Farris]

Ernie Terrel for years was a promoter in Chicago after he retired.
He promoted a ton of small cards at Chicagos old Aaragon Ballroom through the seventies.
He literaly kept the sport alive during that period and built up some good prospects.
Ive met him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy.
I always found it strange that he antagonised Ali before they fought.
Ernie seemed like the type of guy who would train and go about his buisness like the solid pro that he was.
Its surprising he got caught up in any kind of hype.
I wonder if there was more to the story.

Brian . . . Ernie usually attends all of the WBHOF banquets, but I didn't see him this year. I recall that in '07, Dan Hanley and I would run into him several times and were going to interview him. I recall he and Jimmy Ellis together at the previous banquet. Do you know anything about Ernie's sister? She was a great singer and replaced Diana Ross when Ross left the Supremes around 1970.

-Rick

Rick, I don't think she was Ernie Terrel's sister, Tammie Terrell was only her stage mame


Tammi Terrell
AKA Thomasina Montgomery

Born: 29-Apr-1945
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
Died: 16-Mar-1970
Location of death: Philadelphia, PA
Cause of death: Cancer - Brain
Remains: Buried, Mount Lawn Cemetery, Sharon Hill, PA


Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Singer

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Singing partner with Marvin Gaye

A native of Philadelphia, Thomasina Montgomery was given her first opportunity to perform in public through the same venue as did many of the black musicians of her generation: the choir of her family's church. The daughter of politician Thomas Montgomery and actress Jennie Montgomery, "Tommie" (as her family called her) decided upon a future in the music field early in her life, undertaking lessons for voice, piano and dance by the time she had reached her teens. By age 11 she had won her first talent competition, and by 13 she was already performing as an opening act for established R&B artists such as Gary "U.S." Bonds and Patti LaBelle. Her talent eventually attracted the interest of producer Luther Dixon, who signed her to the New York-based Scepter/Wand Records in 1960; her debut single If You See Bill b/w It's Mine was released by the label the following year under the name "Tammy Montgomery" -- the change in her first name inspired by the popular Debbie Reynolds song. A second single The Voice of Experience b/w I Want'cha To Be Sure arrived early in 1962. Neither had much of an impact in the charts, and in her early career Montgomery's popularity was primarily centered around her concert performances.

The next to fall under the young singer's spell was soul icon James Brown, who signed her to his Try Me label after witnessing a performance at the Tan Playhouse in Philadelphia. Brown assumed production duties for her third single I Cried b/w If You Don't Think (1963), while also enlisting Montgomery as a member of his touring band. A romantic involvement is said to have developed between the two during their nine months on the road together, and was reportedly brought to an end through the intervention of the still-teenaged girl's parents. In 1964 one last single was released under her family name: If I Would Marry You b/w This Time Tommorrow on Checker Records. Chart success still remained elusive, and during this period Montgomery began to consider options outside of a career in music, enrolling as a Pre-Med student at the University of Pennsylvania. She never abandoned performing entirely, however, and in 1965 the singer hit the road as part of soul "Ice Man" Jerry Butler's ensemble.Berry Gordy, and before the end of the year she was added to the Motown stable of artists. In his usual hands-on manner, Gordy required her to modify her appearance and change her stage name to "Tammi Terrell", as he felt that her future as "Tammy Montogmery" had already reached an impasse; a series of singles under this new name were produced over the next two years (I Can't Believe You Love Me, Come On And See Me, This Old Heart Of Mine, Tears At The End Of A Love Affair), but only a few managed to crack the top 40. It wasn't until 1967 that Tammi Terrell finally achieved her breakthrough, courtesy of a pairing with labelmate Marvin Gaye (replacing his previous singing partner Kim Weston, who had herself replaced Mary Wells in 1964). The duo's first collaborative single, the Ashford and Simpson penned Ain't No Mountain High Enough, became an immediate hit, as did their first album United.

Between '67 and '69 the duo recorded two further albums (You're All I Need, 1968, and Easy, 1969) and released a string of high-charting singles (Your Precious Love, If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, among several others). Almost as soon as her newfound success had arrived, however, it was overshadowed by complications with her health: persistant migranes the singer had been experiencing for some time finally resulted in a collapse while onstage with Gaye in 1967, and subsequent examinations revealed the presence of a cancerous tumor in her brain. Although her illness brought an end to her ability to perform live, she continued to record with Gaye and as a solo performer (Irresistible, 1968) until it was no longer physically possible. Apparently, it was neccessary for much of the two later Gaye/Terrell albums to be created by Gaye overdubbing onto existing Terrell tracks, and a number of songs on Easy had to be ghost-sung by producer Valerie Simpson. The still very young Terrell endured eight unsuccessful operations before the tumor finally claimed her life in March of 1970. Devastated by the loss of his musical partner, Gaye abandoned his own recording career for a year after her death, and did not resume live performance until 1972.

Frank . . . Thanks for this post. I forgot that Tammi died so young. Sadly, the same would be true of Marvin Gaye (murdered by his father), one of my all-time favorite recording artists.

Here is some "Classic West Coast Boxing" trivia . . . What former L.A. boxing contender did Marvin Gaye manage????

-Rick Farris

[Rick Farris]

Ernie Terrel for years was a promoter in Chicago after he retired.
He promoted a ton of small cards at Chicagos old Aaragon Ballroom through the seventies.
He literaly kept the sport alive during that period and built up some good prospects.
Ive met him once or twice and he seemed like a nice guy.
I always found it strange that he antagonised Ali before they fought.
Ernie seemed like the type of guy who would train and go about his buisness like the solid pro that he was.
Its surprising he got caught up in any kind of hype.
I wonder if there was more to the story.

Brian . . . Ernie usually attends all of the WBHOF banquets, but I didn't see him this year. I recall that in '07, Dan Hanley and I would run into him several times and were going to interview him. I recall he and Jimmy Ellis together at the previous banquet. Do you know anything about Ernie's sister? She was a great singer and replaced Diana Ross when Ross left the Supremes around 1970.

-Rick

Rick, I don't think she was Ernie Terrel's sister, Tammie Terrell was only her stage mame


Tammi Terrell
AKA Thomasina Montgomery

Born: 29-Apr-1945
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA
Died: 16-Mar-1970
Location of death: Philadelphia, PA
Cause of death: Cancer - Brain
Remains: Buried, Mount Lawn Cemetery, Sharon Hill, PA


Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: Black
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Singer

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Singing partner with Marvin Gaye

A native of Philadelphia, Thomasina Montgomery was given her first opportunity to perform in public through the same venue as did many of the black musicians of her generation: the choir of her family's church. The daughter of politician Thomas Montgomery and actress Jennie Montgomery, "Tommie" (as her family called her) decided upon a future in the music field early in her life, undertaking lessons for voice, piano and dance by the time she had reached her teens. By age 11 she had won her first talent competition, and by 13 she was already performing as an opening act for established R&B artists such as Gary "U.S." Bonds and Patti LaBelle. Her talent eventually attracted the interest of producer Luther Dixon, who signed her to the New York-based Scepter/Wand Records in 1960; her debut single If You See Bill b/w It's Mine was released by the label the following year under the name "Tammy Montgomery" -- the change in her first name inspired by the popular Debbie Reynolds song. A second single The Voice of Experience b/w I Want'cha To Be Sure arrived early in 1962. Neither had much of an impact in the charts, and in her early career Montgomery's popularity was primarily centered around her concert performances.

The next to fall under the young singer's spell was soul icon James Brown, who signed her to his Try Me label after witnessing a performance at the Tan Playhouse in Philadelphia. Brown assumed production duties for her third single I Cried b/w If You Don't Think (1963), while also enlisting Montgomery as a member of his touring band. A romantic involvement is said to have developed between the two during their nine months on the road together, and was reportedly brought to an end through the intervention of the still-teenaged girl's parents. In 1964 one last single was released under her family name: If I Would Marry You b/w This Time Tommorrow on Checker Records. Chart success still remained elusive, and during this period Montgomery began to consider options outside of a career in music, enrolling as a Pre-Med student at the University of Pennsylvania. She never abandoned performing entirely, however, and in 1965 the singer hit the road as part of soul "Ice Man" Jerry Butler's ensemble.Berry Gordy, and before the end of the year she was added to the Motown stable of artists. In his usual hands-on manner, Gordy required her to modify her appearance and change her stage name to "Tammi Terrell", as he felt that her future as "Tammy Montogmery" had already reached an impasse; a series of singles under this new name were produced over the next two years (I Can't Believe You Love Me, Come On And See Me, This Old Heart Of Mine, Tears At The End Of A Love Affair), but only a few managed to crack the top 40. It wasn't until 1967 that Tammi Terrell finally achieved her breakthrough, courtesy of a pairing with labelmate Marvin Gaye (replacing his previous singing partner Kim Weston, who had herself replaced Mary Wells in 1964). The duo's first collaborative single, the Ashford and Simpson penned Ain't No Mountain High Enough, became an immediate hit, as did their first album United.

Between '67 and '69 the duo recorded two further albums (You're All I Need, 1968, and Easy, 1969) and released a string of high-charting singles (Your Precious Love, If I Could Build My Whole World Around You, Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing, among several others). Almost as soon as her newfound success had arrived, however, it was overshadowed by complications with her health: persistant migranes the singer had been experiencing for some time finally resulted in a collapse while onstage with Gaye in 1967, and subsequent examinations revealed the presence of a cancerous tumor in her brain. Although her illness brought an end to her ability to perform live, she continued to record with Gaye and as a solo performer (Irresistible, 1968) until it was no longer physically possible. Apparently, it was neccessary for much of the two later Gaye/Terrell albums to be created by Gaye overdubbing onto existing Terrell tracks, and a number of songs on Easy had to be ghost-sung by producer Valerie Simpson. The still very young Terrell endured eight unsuccessful operations before the tumor finally claimed her life in March of 1970. Devastated by the loss of his musical partner, Gaye abandoned his own recording career for a year after her death, and did not resume live performance until 1972.

You are right, Frank. Ernie's sister wasn't Tammi, however, it was his sister who replaced Diana Ross. I'm not sure of her name, but I recall reading a big article about the connection many years ago. Like Pug, I assumed it was Tammi, but the time of her death makes that impossible.

-Rick

[dagosd2000]

Rick
Her name was Jean,Ernie's sister. Happy New Year

[Rick Farris]

Rick
Her name was Jean,Ernie's sister. Happy New Year

Thanks, Roger. And a happy New Year to you and Maria!

-Ricardo